Why can't the law justify anyone before God?
By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in God’s sight, because the law does not give the knowledge of salvation but the knowledge of sin. It can only show mankind their sinfulness. Law-keeping, good works, and legalism may appear good to men but cannot make anyone righteous before the Lord’s scrutiny.
In this verse 20 passage, Les explains that all law keeping, good works, and legalism will be for nothing, because by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight. People may look good enough in man’s sight, but they will never cut it under the scrutinizing eyes of the Lord Jesus. The reason is that by the law is not the knowledge of salvation; it is the knowledge of sin. All the law can do is show mankind their sinfulness. Les also notes how Satan counterfeits the issue by convincing millions, probably billions, that if they do the best they can and keep the law as much as possible, they will somehow make it. But the book says they are never going to make it, because by the keeping of the law no flesh is justified. Instead, we must experience the price of redemption by having our faith placed in the shed blood of Calvary.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
More Questions
Why can't a person be justified by the deeds of the law?
Doing the law's deeds cannot justify anyone in God's sight because the law gives knowledge of sin, not knowledge of salvation or a way to heaven.